V2L Caravan test - Will EVs REVOLUTIONISE caravan design?
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Today we explore how EVs are set to revolutionise caravan design.
00:00 - Titles & Intro
01:09 - What is V2L?
02:20 - Connecting the V2L
03:30 - Pre-test Battery readings, and how to protect battery from excessive drain
04:14 - A night off-grid powered by V2L
08:23 - Post-test battery reading, kWh and cost calculations
09:57 - How I think V2L is set to revolutionise caravan design
10:17 - All electric caravans: Elddis Xplore Electric & Weinsberg CaraCito
11:37 - What's next on this channel
12:36 - Outro: He Never Smiles.
To check out my video about the Weinsberg CaraCito, please see: • Caravan Salon Düsseld...
The Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 both have a facility called V2L - Vehicle to Load. Basically, you can use the car as a power bank, plugging in using a 13 amp UK plug (although it can bear up to 16 amps).
This has HUGE implications in Caravan Design, as it means you can do away with LPG and the leisure battery, saving over 50kg in weight.
Or does it? I put it to the test in the real world, caravanning off-grid in Scotland and using just the V2L to power the caravan.
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What do you reckon folks? Do you think we will see all-electric caravans coming from UK manufacturers again any time soon, and who will be first? My money's on the Xplore Electric making a comeback.
I think smart caravan manufacturers should look at ranges of superlight, super aero and electric only caravans. It’s where the market has to go. Why can’t my Model Y do V2L!! Arghhhhh. Must tweet Elon!
Hi Andrew great vid usual one question how much is the price of the EV car and what are the charging times
A very interesting and thought provoking video. We are a couple and have a twin axle caravan with a motor mover and E&P self levelling so we would probably need a 12v battery. The MTPLM is 2000kg. Two or more people would use more power for heating water for showering. Others use a TV which is another draw on power. IMHO the EV battery will probably need recharging after one night if you are a couple perhaps with children. If the charge on the car dropped down to 40%, that means you need to drive to the nearest place to top up, but in the meantime the battery and gas can take care of stuff like fridge, heating etc so are probably still essentials. Gas and battery backup is almost a must of camping off grid.
Many videos from the 1800s show electric scooters, bikes and cars, and lavish lighting at the World Fairs.
It seems that electricity was freely available then.
Now the grand old buildings are nearly all gone, and we are precisely metered for our energy, and even water, that falls freely from the sky.
Today EV's are not here for our benefit, they are part of UN agenda 2030: remember when the Tesla server went down and no one could open the doors on their Tesla cars? AGW, Covid, War: packs of lies on packs of lies.
Some of the new tech is nice, but beware of the control grid that gets tighter every step on the 'green' road to the next reset.
Could the “saved’ weight on the caravan be used to house solar panels to harness charge-back to the EV/caravan? Not knowing very much about the mechanics of this I’m probably way off the mark here but just trying to think out the box.
👏😊 Bravo once again MrD.
This is genuinely very exciting, can you imagine if you’d been using an induction hob with a compressor fridge, and do caravans come with air sourced heat pumps? Imagine how long you go ‘off grid’ with all of that!😃. All I’ve got to do now is find the 40 odd grand I’d need to buy an electric car!!
Many ACs that are specifically made for caravans are also heat pumps.
I recently learned to roast chicken and beef in an air fryer. We bought a portable induction hob too, so the gas powered fixed cooker with double oven has become an ornament these days. Our next purchase will be an Ecoflow power bank and an upgrade of our roof mounted solar panels. We are planning on building in as much self sufficiency as possible due to the ever increasing costs of touring sites.
Splendid…really look forward to your summer touring videos with the EV and caravan with interest!!!
Wow, Andrew a real eye opener that, good work 👍👍👍👍👍
Really interesting and as always very well delivered. Looking forward to how you get on with more towing and charging etc. A really excellent idea to showcase a super vehicle.
Absolutely brilliant and I’m surprised by the low consumption by the caravan; I thought it would deplete the battery much more than it did. Looking forward to more videos showing the capabilities of your EV and V2L!
A 77.4 kWh battery can deliver 3KW for 77.4/3 = 25 hours, so lots of power for 1-2, possibly 3 nights!
A single fill of gas for me + 90Ah does more (4-5 days) but that's without a toaster..!
Cheers Roddy! Just wanting to show what is possible right now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
Well you answered all my questions!! Loved the mini series and looking forward to more ev content later this year!!
Cheers Paul! Yes, it's going to be an interesting summer.
excellent, very informational and as usual music selection perfect!!
Thanks Steve!
Excellent series Andrew... very informative and very interesting. I think it's quite a few years away for us a family but I can see this being the norm in the not too distant future. Thanks for these videos, brilliant. Ian...
An interesting and educating serie of four. I learned a lot. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
You make so much sense Andrew and I really appreciate the way you simplified the calculations. So interesting to see the process first hand. Cheers👍🇮🇪
Thanks Bernie!
Yeah, I think it's a game changer too, looking for your next video
Another excellent video, thank you. So interesting, and of course being able to make a cup of tea in the car, whether or not you are towing, makes all journeys better 😄
YES! Especially in Scotland in the winter when so few places are open to get a hot drink :)
Amazing, looking forward to more BEV caravaning videos this summer. 👍
You and me both! Approaching the idea with excitement AND anxiety :-/
Two questions Andrew.
1. Have any all electric caravans used a little heat pump, like EVs use for heating? That would cut electricity use by 60-70%, and draw thus less from the car.
2. I wonder people would still prefer to have a small battery in the caravan, perhaps with a solar panel on the roof, so it could keep the fridge cold if you drove the car away for a few hours? I guess it could be smaller battery than usual, if you assume the car or mains power most of the time.
If supplemented with solar and as small wind turbine, I imagine the power would stretch much further
You say smaller battery but a 100 watt lithium battery would be a lot lighter than a conventional one. So you could keep the same power.
@@rhinogooner Yes, I was thinking that too. Doesn't have to be a lead acid battery.
I was going to comment on the same line: the caravan will always need a battery, at least for the fridge. And, of course, latest generation fridges, air conditioning, ovens and cookers will save energy and allow longer off-grid use. A solar panel covering the roof is also a good idea.
Good thinking Mike. I was thinking that the transformer could power the 12v stuff, but a decent Lithium battery might just keep a fridge running while the car is away charging. As for heat pumps for caravans... someone needs to invent one PDQ!!!
Brilliant video and test, good to see battery usage from the car powering the caravan wasn’t too much.
We can probably rely on Elddis to reintroduce theirs.
Fascinating stuff. This is a game changer. Imagine caravans with batteries that can be topped up by the car, or the other way around.
Good stuff! This is what we caravaners need - a real life journey to EV and caravans. Looking forward to joining you on the experience!
Welcome aboard!
Brilliant set of 4 videos Andrew. I've been waiting for this type of video for a while now and you've done a great job. You're well ahead of anything I've seen so far and deserve a lot of credit for what you're doing. I hope you get some form of sponsorship from Kia as it is well deserved and motor manufacturers need to wake up the the future needs of the leisure industry. I drive a Kona ev and they are brilliant I just need to find something to tow my caravan. Thanks for your videos.
Thanks Philip. Hold fire till I've got some 'mainland' experience! Not just the manufacturers, the charging infrastructure also needs to wake up to the fact people are now towing with EVs. No phone call from Kia yet... :-/
Amazing results. Enjoy Italy Andrew
Many thanks!
Brilliant; the future could be very promising 😎
Hey Andrew, I only found you a couple of days ago, in Harris and Lewis, we have actually visited before but it was nice to see it again, we had a friend with a bungalow on the East coast of Harris South of Tarbert. I am from Arbroath and used to cycle all round Scotland with a club. Royal Deeside and the Angus Glens were our weekend getaways. Now with caravan and more recently MHs we are still visiting even though we live in Devon. Although we head off to Spain to winter and Covid plus 90-180 making life hard we still live to get up the West coast. I’m an engineer and I really enjoyed you experiment with your Kia, I did think when you said one 6kg bottle of propane in 2 days, we broke down 20years ago towing just past Tolouse heading to Spain, it was so cold and we overnighted in an Aire on the canal du midi, one 6kg overnight!!! We were held up over Xmas and New Year for 3 weeks till the locals replaced my Isuzu rear OS wheel bearing. How things have changed. If you put some solar on the roof as well you could be off grid for a while. Nice to watch your video, I have subscribed and 👍 Cheers from Devon, Mike👍🍷🍷
Cheers Mike! Glad you're enjoying the vids and thanks for subscribing. Some people called me out on that 6kg quote, saying that they could get days and days in the winter from one cylinder. Yeah, right... ;)
We'll Andrew that was absolutely brilliant vlog hope fully it won't be too long before the all electric caravan comes along from a UK manufacturer and your the one to test it out 👍👍😎
Cheers Darren!
Some really useful info there Andrew, interesting to see some stats from on location usage, will be good to see some stats when the heating isn't on as much over the summer months.
Cheers Mo! Well, I'm in it for the long term (unless it all goes horribly wrong) so plenty more tests to come over the next 12 months.
Well your timing as usual is spot on!! What with fuel prices and that includes lpg etc this is obviously the way forward!! Well done you! Ahead of the game!! I love the fact you can stop anywhere, don't have to worry about a site with ehu!! The cost was brilliant too & knowing you, you'll find other ways of saving electric! Top of the class Andrew you genius!! Love and hugs xxx 😘🐕🥰
Thanks Anne! xx
This was a fascinating series of vids, thank you Andrew! Really looking forward to seeing your future adventures with the new rig... the Kia is a fabulous car, a real leader in the EV world right now. Be great to see you and your set up at Cayton Village this season, as you know we're one of the few club sites with dedicated EV charging so it'd be great to see you really put it to the test ❤️👍
Ha! Yes indeed. Especially as I've heard that charging on a pitch has just gone up to £9 a day!
Illuminating short series on your new electric rig Andrew thoughtfully delivered with your usual expertise. Yes, the future is now the present; you are clearly a leisure industry pioneer,ably assisted by Dougal of course!. Feeling a bit like a dinasour now but looking forward to watching your 🇮🇹 trip. Have a good one.
Cheers Ray!
Nice new set of wheels Andrew 👌.... Happy motoring ...... the future is here!
Thanks Jason!
Waiting for my all-electric campervan. Thanks Andrew.
Not long now! Thanks for watching.
Hi Andrew,
Thanks for this great video series about EV and caravanning. It gives me even more clarity about the possibilities of spending free time with an EV and a caravan.
I'm waiting for my new Kia EV6 GT to be arrived and will be delivered in October 2022, so on holiday with an ICE this summer but already looking forward to doing this with my new EV6 GT and Adria Adora 522UP next year.
Have a nice trip to Italy and look forward to the next series of youtube movies.
thanks and take care,
Gert | Netherlands
Graag gedaan Gert. I look forward to sharing my experience over the summer with you. EV6 + Adria Adora is a BEAUTIFUL looking rig!
Andrew I waited patiently for the 4 videos before commenting whilst you tried to convince me, and you know what ...you have! This is flipping amazing development, I hated electric cars but now combining it with my camping soul I'm all for it! Absolute great series and again believe me I would not go near EV before now. Now the theory is that this should make vans cheaper, but we know that won't, as its likely to keep 12v systems on board with solar charging and combined mains from the car. Love it and have a great time in Italy! 👍
Cheers Kevin! And thanks for waiting ;) The summer will be interesting when we go for a long (ish) trip, so we'll see what happens. But yes, v2L also revolutionises camping too - maybe even more so.
Absolutely brilliant experiment Andrew. An EV coupled with an electric caravan (shall we now just call that an EC?) is certainly something that will fit a niche market and seems to be ideal for what you have in mind for the immediate future BUT having to constantly consider range, state of charge and where to get recharged may take the edge off a nice relaxing break for some. I do feel that we are at the very beginning of something big though once manufactures are able to magic extra range and capacity from EV batteries. Have a great summer.
Cheers Richard! Yes, it's early days still, but nice to experiment to see what is possible. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for sharing 👍
Wow, that’s good! I’m surprised how little it used. 👍🏻
Very impressive. Thanks for the vid.
Thanks for watching!
Marvellous the battery works like that too
Great content - very interesting. Thx.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That was fascinating. A while ago I didn’t see how caravan towing and an EV could work but clearly it does. I still think we’ve a long way to go particularly as EV’s become more popular and demand for charging facilities increase but I’ll watch with interest. Thank you !
Glad you found this interesting. For caravanning it is still very early days, and a lot of people in both campsite management and transport still think it's not possible. A lot is going to need to change and we both know it's not going to happen overnight. But if I can get some wheels in motion, that will be a good thing. Many thanks.
Very interesting, can't wait to find out how you get on long term with the KIA especially towing in some more "typical" Scottish weather/terrain, so the car's lights, heater's and wipers, Sat Nav etc are on. These things on their own can substantially reduce EV range. Then when you throw a caravan into the mix it'll be even tougher on the range. To say I'm fascinated to see how you get on would be an understatement. looking forward to your next instalments in the summer😁V2L segment was an eye opener 😃
Cheers David! Yes, towing in a Scottish winter is going to be... interesting. Fewer sites open, too, just to make life really interesting.
I think we are going to see a move to this idea for sure. It would make site stays less expensive too, you wouldn't need to pay for an electric hook-up for the full stay for instance. You could could pay for a day to charge your EV with its Granny charger, and then keep using the EV's VTL for the other days. So many options available going forward I think! Great review Andrew, and best of luck with your EV journey, you won't regret it!
Thanks Craig! Positive messages like yours help me get through the other less positive or open-minded ones ;)
This is the most interesting thing on RUclips at the moment. We'd still need a small leisure battery, Typically one person goes shopping & the other stays with the dog. You need to flush the loo at a minimum. OK, we always try to stay on powered sites but sometimes it's not possible. Our annual pilgrimage, to the Glen Innes Celtic festival, uses about 125 liters of petrol which now costs about $250 AUD 4 years ago it would have been just over $100 that bears thinking about.
Perfect video's Andrew. Thank You. I think You are right and all electric is the future in caravanning.
I have build an all electric interior in to our (dutch brand) BIOD caravan three years ago. I love the loss of gas and the new Thetford Induction cooker.
Sounds great!
Andrew I really am trying to be open minded about EV's in general and towing specifically. Can't currently get past the during touring charging issues associated with charging stations and caravans. Will be interested to see how you find that issue in particular. That said really interesting and thought provoking video and I will follow your progress with great interest. Keep up the great work and content.
Cheers Mike! It's going to be a steep learning curve.
I’m from across the pond, and I’ve got to tell you, I LOVE the style of the European caravans, and the lightweight, unlike the typical American travel trailer. And this is absolutely wonderful to see. I’m a huge fan of EVs. My next car will definitely be an EV. And to see it power the caravan is just amazing. Question, as I didn’t see your previous videos, did you tow it with the Kia? Again with the typical heavyweight American camper, that’s almost impossible.
I went back and watched the other videos. I can only dream of the day when a similar setup is not only possible, but common here in the US. I wish US manufacturers of trailers followed European design so we wouldn’t need a full size pickup with a V8 to tow most trailers.
Brilliant.
Great to see this being shown off. I have the Kia Niro with V2L. I have my Home Meter box Wired to accept power from the Vehicle in case of a local power outage. It is wired just to power the lights and Power Points, So no Hotplates, oven, Hot water cylinder or Heating. I'm sure I can draw 3.6 KW. I'm yet to experiment to see what an hourly draw would be. Cheers Tony
This just gets better and better - if this is what it’s like to own an EV car in 2022, just think how things would be in 2030. I think what you’re saying about all electric caravans makes perfect sense and an obvious way forward. Take care Andrew and best wishes to Dougal.
Thanks Taffy. I need messages like yours to counteract the doom mongers!
Great video - the U.K. caravan industry need to get in the game of electric caravans as you say.
Thanks! Someone mentioned air source heat pumps for caravans in the comments... now THERE is an idea!
That's impressive!
Nice, indeed this will revolutionize camping in a broader context
Hats off for taking the plunge into the EV world, the EV6 is a cracker, as is the Hyundai Ionic 5, but can’t help thinking you may have jumped a bit early. At a 100miles between charges and probably an hour per charge by the time you have disconnected and reconnected the van and 30 to 40 minutes a charge on the standard chargers, as we don’t have many 350kw chargers available yet, the lack of charging infrastructure generally, trying to map a route in EV across the uk is always fun without a caravan, with a van who knows where you could end up? One last thing EV 10 year battery life is based on the number of charges in that time, when your pulling the van your going to be charging your car three times more often when just using the EV as a car, so pulling the van will have an impact on the battery life, at £12k to replace batteries it rapidly ads up.
Cheers Mac. Yes, I know it's a bit early but I feel we are in a chicken-and-egg situation just now. Hopefully I can demonstrate a need for pull-through chargers and the need to improve the network like you say. It's a sacrifice, but an exciting challenge as well. Cheers!
I'm dead jealous of the amount of time you have to travel. I just got My EV6 in July and haven't even slept overnight in it. Looking forward to testing that out over the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. I hope you are right, that eVs are revolutionizing caravan travel.
Strangely enough, the towing capacity on North American models in lower than European models! Hope you have a good break at Thanksgiving when it comes around.
@@andrewjditton That is strange. It still tows good camping equipment but I'm not looking to spend a bunch of money on the hookup and harness yet. And maybe I'll build a teardrop camper in times to come. I love to see how many awards the EV6 has won in the UK .
Thank you...
Brilliant!!!
Brilliant!
I’m really curious to see Motorhome parks usage and if you’ll be able to charge there!
At the moment you can, although only by plugging the car into the caravan which will give you only 1.3kW/h. The CAMC charge £7 per day for this. We'll give it a go over the summer. Thanks for watching.
Great video love the future. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the charging When caravan attached. Also wondering about water and waste. Do you have in board tanks and how easy are they to dump. Does it require lots if reversing in awkward spaces etc Love an update on that.
Hi Loraine, in the UK we generally use external wheeled tanks, so you take the tanks to the fresh tap or dump station, not the caravan. Thanks for watching.
At long last. The proof is in the pudding. Something I’ve been hoping for the past decade. Thanks for sharing 👌👍
No problem John. It's going to be an interesting summer. Thanks for watching.
@@andrewjditton safe travels. I’ll look forward to your updates 👍🙃🇦🇺
Hi Andrew, I've a Bailey Discovery D4-2 ,I think the KIA would be ideal for me . certainly something to think about
Very interesting. We are currently living in our van while our new build house is being built and we got our first electric bill from the site after the first 14 nights (they charge electric on top of the site fees). That worked out at £59 for 14 nights so that’s £4.21 a night on electric. That is running our fridge and the heating and microwave, boiling the kettle plus TV and charging phones and IPads etc. We also have the price of the gas which we use for the oven and hob. Very interesting that your night worked out costing you less than that. 🤔 I find myself wanting one of these EV6’s now.
Interesting. Although remember that I managed to find a charger where I paid 20p per kW/h. Some are more expensive, but others are free! However, free ones generally charge at a very slow rate. Hope you enjoy the forthcoming videos over the summer when I put the EV6 to the real test on a longer trip. Thanks for watching.
Hari OM
YEEEESSSSS!!! Oh the anticipation... and it can only get better. Stronger batteries on the BEVs (the ICEs must be truly melting at the thought), improved performance onboard the caravans with, say, 12v rather than 240v appliances... bring it on!!!
Safe travels south, Andrew - sending an ear chuck and tail wag to Dougal... YAM xx
Cheers Yam xx
This works DEPENDING on how far you travel I live in TEXAS in the USA I can easily drive 1000 miles and not get out of texas
A great idea.
Good video Andrew maybe this is the future never thought
About towing with electric car when comes to charge car with caravan on
Some garages just enough room to charge car not to bad if caravan on site
But if your travelling and not staying on sites could this be a problem
Amazing!
A fascinating series and well presented as usual, thanks Andrew!
The Weinsberg CaraCito lightweight all-electric vans which you saw in Düsseldorf have just become available to order from some UK dealers, along with the Knaus e-Power vans which reached the UK a few months ago.
I applaud Knaus/Weinsberg for their innovative approach. There must be a large market in Europe predicted for e-only caravans, given the investment that Knaus Tabbert have made.
We've just sold our Bürstner motorhome and have ordered a Weinsberg CaraOne 400 LK caravan, for collection in June.
This decision was driven to a large extent by my concerns over the long term cost and availability of diesel. Having spent so much on the motorhome purchase we hoped to use it for the next 15-20 years, but this seems increasingly unrealistic...
The CaraOne is not as exciting as an all-electric CaraCito, but it will come with gas/electric room heating and electric only hot water heating. We'll mostly be using a portable induction hob and an electric kettle. Gas will only be used for occasional cooking and as a back-up for heating in case of mains supply problems on site.
Critically, the low MTPLM of 1350 kg will give us the freedom to change tow cars to EV or hydrogen fuel cell in the future, although we'll be using our BMW 320i mild hybrid for a few more years.
P.S. I have a Westphalia detachable towbar, and after a few wincing knuckle grazes of my own I now always use workwear gloves when hitching up ;-)
Very interesting to see what you are doing there. And I had no idea about Weinsberg bringing the CaraCito to the UK, so that's useful to know, thank you! As you say, they are to be applauded for their innovation. Let's hope we see a UK manufacturer follow suit soon. All the best.
It’s literally so cool that you can power your caravan from your car like that! 🔋
Having recently upgraded our caravans off grid equipment, it did cross my mind to explore options for increased battery capacity and getting rid of our LPG tank, but it’s more than I wanted to do and not realistic, an EV’s battery is a solution.
I’m genuinely quite excited to see what caravan manufacturers will do in the future, especially combined with an EV’s battery. ⚡️
Thanks for sharing this series with us, it’s been really interesting to watch. 😊👍🏕
Good luck with the Gaelic. When I tried to learn I found it quite challenging. I also was surprised at your energy consumption. I was estimating more. Great news though!!
Tapadh leat a charaid! :)
@@andrewjditton completely unrelated, I watched James May in a series called “Building Cars” and at the Toyota plant one of the parts trolleys has a picture of a dog and is named “Dougal”! Though he’s not nearly as wonderful as the real Dougal.
One thing I’m wondering about an all electric caravan is what about an oven? Running an electric oven would be quite an overhead I guess? Interested to see how you get on! Especially looking forward to seeing how the charging while on a journey goes.
Wow, that is a superb idea and glad you have seen the potential in this option. Now what would be nice if you had a few solar panels on the caravan in that if the power in the van was already good that the car then took charge from the caravan system. My only worry having a complete electric caravan at present is the oven, I would imagine that would take quite a bit of power to cook a pizza lets say. It's taking massive strides and it's good to see this possible.
I very much doubt that the 10kg cylinder would last 16 days in March with heating on. In June without heating, sure, but you need to compare like for like.
@@Alex-ek5fb dead right Alex I use a 10 kg safe fill and it lasts 3 to 4 days per bottle when using the heating.,fridge ,cooker and hot water now in march . So it's about the same as Andrew's estimate for electricity. Problem with Andrew's rig is you have to keep travelling ,if your doing that you may as well have a motorhome
@@keith4881 yes you can’t leave the van on a no hook up site while you you go off in the car unless you have some other means of providing power ,you would definitely still need a leisure battery at least in my opinion.
Cheers! There is also the issue of not being able to power the fridge when the car is away for charging. But for a night every now and again it works, making the all-electric caravan a viable option.
Having had an off grid seasonal pitch last summer I think caravan manufacturers could do more with solar and alternatives to electric and gas. We had to add solar as an optional extra in our current van! I like this idea with the car but it’s still a short term option.
Great video Andrew and certainly an option going forward. The only issue I can see is that in sub zero conditions our electric battery range of our Mini drops dramatically. Have you experienced this with your Kia?
Not yet, have only had it for a week! Thanks for watching!
Great video, really useful with the fuel prices going so high, v interested to see what charging your ev from a site hookup is like (if permitted, what if everyone is charging at the same time?) and surely you still need a 12v leisure battery for the 12v lighting system to work ? P.s. cracking car
Have fuel prices risen as much as electricity prices?
Cheers Jon, it's going to be an interesting summer!
Hi Andrew, You should treat yourself to a Nespresso machine delicious coffee. No mess no fuss, perfect for caravaners
Great idea, only stumbling blocks are the cost of the vehicle in the first instance, and the limited range/current availability of charging point across the UK.
That Kia is something else though isn't it?
Steve
You're right Steve, but when you look at 'new' prices you'll fall over (I did). They Kia Sorrento 2.2 diesel costs almost as much - about 10% cheaper.
The secret sauce here in an electric caravan is things like. Ability to capture the increased regen braking energy from the caravan mass - do you find EV can slow the rig down on regen ? Maximise aero efficiency so none of the sticking out roof vents, wind tunnel, smooth underside etc etc. Ultra lightweight construction (carbon fibre chassis for example) and low friction running gear. Heat pump and the like. All at a cost of course.
Cheers Nigel. Totally agree. I love the regen paddles in the EV6 so you can control it at your fingertips - upping the regen if doing downhill for example. What I'd love to do is compare towing a regular caravan with something more aerodynamic like an Eriba. All in good time, I hope. Many thanks.
Very interesting teaser Andrew. I'm starting to come around. I would like to point out Lpg pricing may well be right for Calor. But I use Safefill so I reckon no more than £1.70.. but I do like the. Idea. It's certainly cheaper than site EHU between 4 and £6 a night. Look forward to your longer trip in the summer.. PS when you plug in the car does it also charge the liesure battery? is there solar panel on the Caravan might help😁
Hi Victor, yes the leisure battery charges by default. Using a solar panel is always going to help but maybe not by a huge amount, as the biggest load on the EV battery is the 240v stuff. Battery charging is minimal by comparison, but every little helps!
That’s a very interesting idea. The fully electric caravan is certainly the future. Have you seen the video of the electric Airstream with the built-in electric motor and underfloor battery?
Indeed I have Andrew. It's actually German technology from sister Thor brand Dethleffs, which they pioneered a few years ago. It will be interesting to see if it develops. Thanks for watching.
I really enjoyed the V2L video as we have an ev and a PHEV. Unfortunately the Tesla Model 3 Long Range and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV do not have the V2L facility but I’m sure it will get more common in the coming years. I have recently had a test drive in a EV-6 GT Line like yours and was very impressed but I would like something a bit larger so we could go down to just one car.
The idea of having an electric only caravan is interesting but there are times when one or more of us would go out in the car and those remaining would have no power or heat or if you all go out you come back to a cold caravan so it’s not ideal.
Very good point. If you intend to rely on the V2L off-grid, then an LPG system would still be useful.
Hi Andrew,
30 years ogo we had a monolite caravan 12.6feet 4 berths and under 10 hw in old money.they were leading the way but went bust. I hope the get it right this time.John
Thanks for your series comparing fueled and EV cars towing and camping. I am in Australia and have waited years for a fit for purpose EV UTE to be available in Aus. Never gonna happen so I have ordered a May 2024 delivery EV9 GT line and am now looking for a suitable caravan to purchase. I want to tow a caravan and travel AUS. in a fit for purpose EV. I have a 40 kw Nissan Leaf which I only purchased in 2020 as it was the only V2Grid/ home EV available in Aus. We are so far behind the rest of the world but only because our range expectations and needs are so great. eg.🚙 (a trip to a capital city centre for me is a 300kl round trip what we in Australia call "Just up the road" The charging networks are pretty sparse but Grey Nomads and EV travellers have guaranteed the installation of EV chargers at Caravan parks, camping sites and many hotels / air bnbs. I don't want a huge 7 seater SUV with such high specs as I will only be travelling with my 4 dogs but there are no suitable UTES or Vans on the Australian market;at least not until 2028 according to manufacturers of the endless CONCEPT cars at shows hahahaha
My very first thought was that a hybrid vehicle that can run on both petrol and elec. Ford is now starting to make a uni-body small hybrid pickup truck "Maverick" starting at $20k (USD). Elec. is the near future. But in the next 10 years, there's a transition time that I'm sure will have a few bumps. Is the Maverick available in UK? (P.S. Lovin' your new setup👍)
Hi Andrew it may be good can see many problems ie what when battery starts to loose power through age etc. However at 73 too late for me as I think with most caravaners so will stay with my Range Rover Sport and 2015 Coachman VIp 565 to see my caravanning days out.
Hi Colin, only time will tell! Thanks for watching.
Hi Andrew. One big problem I have noticed is many car charging points are not big enough for a car towing a caravan. So if you pull into a filling station on a journey to top up electric you would have to un hitch first then re hitch. Cheers from old George
Yes George, exactly that!
Well done & thanks for sharing. I use a 12VDC 1kW inverter on a 2013 RAV4EV for V2L. I wonder if you can get an additional 1kW from the EV6 this way (only when it's ON).
Interesting! Not sure if I would tinker with the EV6 though, 3kW is enough for me anyway. Cheers!
I’m watching this on 1 April. Andrew, you released this a day or two too early!
Absolutely fascinating Andrew.Well done 👏 my question will we be able to charge our EV on a caravan site and if yes how long would it take for a reasonable charge?
Hi Andrew, at the moment you can only plug the car into the caravan which will deliver about 1.3kWh. So in 18 hours you'd get 23kWh of charge, which would only be enough to to get you about 40 miles towing. It's only a realistic option if you're staying on site for a couple of days and can get 50kWh+. For a quick overnight stop you'd need to take the car away for charging, although more and more sites are installing car chargers. Thanks for watching!
@@andrewjditton Thank you Andrew so here we go Caravan sites will need to install ideally Quick Charge power points for fast charging ? I wonder.You arrive on site after a 200 mile drive with low EV battery which will struggle to give you overnight power,what happens next ? I’m sorry but as it stands there’s a lot has to happen for this to work.
I'm thinking when I stop motor homing an all electric tear drop trailer would be appealing to me. With an electric blanket (would pass as central heating), an induction hob, a small kettle and the induction friendly version of the ridge monkey and your set up.
Maybe a small van with the power station facility will be on the market soon. This would enable a self build camper van.
On reflection I think a small 12V compressor fridge (maybe dual zone) and a power bank would work with either of the above options. Both able to work and charge in the car or the van/trailer.
Absolutely Richard. This was just a first wee trial, but I think the implications could run and run with this. Thanks for watching!
Hi Andrew and Dougall 👋 Andrew - based on your back of the napkin estimates - how many days could you boondock before worrying about getting your EV to a charger? Would grey water and blackwater intervene as a limitation? In Canada our recharging posts are few and far between in a vast country this my reluctance to go EV even tho I have had two Priuses and loved both. I love innovation - thank you for bringing us this real world test. 🥇
I think it depends upon the amount of heating you use, TBH.
Andrew used 18% in the UK, in Canada probably 2kW for 12 hours - 1/3rd of the battery.
But in summer, probbaly very little.
Wow!
i was under the impression that certain things would not work without the leisure battery. i guess you mean IF the caravans were made for it so those things (i know lights but not sure if other things need the battery) were addressed. i guess they could also redesign the motor movers to use the V2L as well. the cables are long enough to manoeuvre it whilst connected to the car.
One would hope they would simply work off the transformer if a manufacturer were to go down that route. Good idea about the mover! Thanks for watching.
Interesting to see the car used as a powerbank. I had wondered how you would fare going off grid for periods especially winter. Although gas is very economical for £/kw.
It is Gareth, but where I live you can't get LPG at the pump, and exchangeable cylinders are eye-wateringly expensive. Thanks for watching!
Hi from Turkey❤
There already is electric Caravans on the Market, its called Solar, we run one with 3, 300 amp lithium batteries and inverter to run all powered items, TV, electric hob, jugs, toasters, water pump, and we can free camp for weeks on end with out worrying about the batteries draining, As far as the car, over here in Australia its bound for failure if your towing a Caravan, nobody is going to buy a Car that can only do a couple of 100ks a day, when here we sometimes drive 1000ks a day, nobody is going to wait for 8hrs for a charge. Cost for a EV over here can range from $54 thousand to $70 thousand for the EV, and the cost of replacing the battery every 6 to 8 years is phenomenal, especially when you think some diesel vehicles here in Australia are turning over up to and more than 500,000ks, Our last trip was 12,000ks round trip, sure at the moment with lack of EVs on the road, power is much cheaper, but i can imagine that will skyrocket when power demand increases, So as nice as it looks, its a big no from a Aussie fan
Potential safety risk (RCD)!?
Hi Andrew. Thanks for sharing this video with us. Great stuff. I‘m also thinking of buying an electric car and use it to give 230V to my caravan.
Question about safety:
Is this the same as when you would connect a powerstation (e.g. Bluetti, Ecoflow,…) to the main power inlet of the caravan? Because this is potentially deadly if you don‘t use an extra cable so it is RCD proof. Because with powerstations there is no grounding and if a device is faulty, the electricity goes though the body without RCD. Sorry it is very hard to explain in english😊. Basically the question is what happens if you hooked the caravan to your car like in the video and you test the RCD. Will the RCD Switch go off? Have you or anyone tested it?
Kind regards
Phil
Super interesting thanks!
Thanks for watching!
I absolutely love you Andrew. Please get a rescue dog soon. You'd be perfect... also keep it up. Honestly love everything about where you life, your old work life and what you do now... but please do get a rescue... you'd give just a great life to a dog that needs it... God bless fella
Hmm... I'm not so sure this EV option is the future... yet, imo. I think the restriction on distance between charges pulling a caravan will make it unviable for the time being. It may work for a single destination holiday but not for touring.
And from what I’ve seen of charging points a lot look difficult to access while towing.
charging is an absolute nightmare on a run at rapid chargers, even for just an electric car on it's own, never mind with a caravan attached. I have a leaf and only use it around town and short trips now because I have learned my lesson. I have a diesel camper van and Mercedes E class diesel, for long trips and touring, both with ranges of 600 miles plus and instant refueling.
Don't forget most chargers are 50 kw at the moment and a 77 kwhr battery would take about 1 1/2 hours to charge, empty to around 90% on one. The bigger the battery, the longer charge time, even if it's range may be greater between stops. My 30 kwhr leaf takes around 40 minutes or so because of it's smaller battery size.
With a caravan attached to a big battery car, you are only getting slightly more than my leaf's 107 miles and that is when it is brand new, it is only about 80 or so now.
To my mind , there's a much bigger problem , that no one appears to be talking about . Just where is all this electric gonna come from on campsites ? . Most sites can supply a 16amp hook up , but that's not gonna be enough to supply total demand . Charge the car , and run the caravan . Lights , water , heating , cooking . Campsites are gonna need a small substation , just to supply this demand , for maybe as few as 5 units , and i can't see the electric companies falling over themselves to fit one .
Yes, I just want to show what is currently possible. It does at least mean that all-electric caravans could be viable, as they will work for short periods away from a hook-up, unlike just a few years ago.
@@mickey1299 16A is a LOT. In winter it would be a stretch with the heating requirements during the night, but the other 3 seasons should be ok. 10A could be a problem though and in my experience 90% of all campsites has that.
that's awesome! imagine how good this will be when we get cars with bigger batteries? :O
...AND more reliable and numerous chargers!
@@andrewjditton yes